Chartier attended a party with her boyfriend in Chelmsford, Massachusetts on June 5, 1982. They had an argument during the evening and Chartier drove him to his house, then continued back to the party on her own. Witnesses told the authorities that she left the party at approximately 02:00 Neither she nor the 1977 black Dodge she was driving was seen again.

Chartier was employed at a fast-food restaurant in Chelmsford at the time of her 1982 disappearance. Her mother told authorities that Chartier was being harassed by a male coworker at the time she vanished. Chartier's mother also stated that her daughter was frightened of the employee.